Ash-colored Despair (13)
Following this, there was a deafening roar that shook the entire training yard.
Lucas exhaled loudly. He held his breath for a long time.
The longboat pulled the weapon from the chest of the defeated enemy and turned his horse around.
When the glare of the torches illuminated his stern and noble features, the roar of the crowd flared up even more.
Lucas looked around at the faces of the warriors surrounding the arena, flushed with excitement, and again turned his eyes to Longboat.
Even amid all this turmoil, the man seemed infinitely calm.
The longboat, with an indifferent, almost tired face, crossed the arena and easily jumped from the saddle.
“Find out if there are other worthy men in the Gutvan house,” he ordered Daren, handing the weapon to the servant who ran up. “If a suitable heir is not found, let them look among the vassals for someone who can rule the southeastern lands.”
“Among his half-brothers there is a rather skilled warrior,” Daren answered in a trembling voice. “He was going to join the Wolfram Order of Spearmen, and he also studied at the academy in the capital... I think he can handle the role of a lord.”
Longboat took off the iron glove and gave it to the servant, thoughtfully running his finger over his lips.
- Let them bring me to me as soon as possible. If I deem him worthy, we will arrange an appointment ceremony without delay.
Just at that moment, two squires removed the heavy cuirass from his chest. The relieved Longboat immediately moved through the crowd - straight to Lucas.
He, without having time to come to his senses, backed away. At the same time, the girl he was holding on to almost fell - Lucas hastily grabbed her around the waist.
At the same moment, blood rushed to his head.
Her waist was so fragile that even in his still weak hands it could easily fit entirely. Moreover, her skin, shining white even in the dark, exuded a sweet scent that he had never smelled before.
What's that smell?..
Without realizing it, Lucas reached his nose to her neck and inhaled, but then a ringing slap burned his cheek. He pressed his palm to his face in shock.
The girl, pushing him away, threw a look at him full of indignation and shouted:
-What are you doing, you perverted brat!
- Perverted?! “Lucas opened his mouth in confusion. - I just wanted to catch you so you wouldn’t fall!..
- Why did you sniff if you just wanted to pick it up?
Lucas blushed from ear to ear. In her look of contempt, for the first time in his life, he felt a humiliating burning sensation of shame.
He flushed and, trying to justify himself, blurted out:
- Yes, I just... I just felt a strange smell!..
In response, a burning heat spread across the other cheek. Lucas stumbled back.
What kind of woman is this anyway?..
After all these exhausting training, bruises and abrasions were commonplace - but for someone to hit him in the face like that, and in front of everyone - this had never happened to him before.
Gritting his teeth from humiliation, he stared angrily at the girl and was already opening his mouth to bark something in response, when suddenly Raina was nearby. She forcefully pushed the girl aside.
-Who are you to let go of your hands?! Witch!
The waist, like a piece of paper, flew back from the force of her horse-riding arms. Lucas instinctively extended his hand to catch it, but at the same moment someone's long arm intercepted it.
A long arm snatched the girl out of thin air. Lucas raised his head - Barkas stood a step away from him and, holding her in his arms, looked coldly from top to bottom.
“...Looks like you all need to relearn the basics of discipline,” he said slowly.
Then he turned to the pale Raina:
- From today, both are deprived of the right to ride a horse.
- You can’t do that! “Raina tried to object, but Barkas had already turned away from her, not wanting to listen.
“Find them a strict mentor,” he said to Daren. “Until they master the rules of decency as they should be, they won’t take a step outside the castle gates.”
Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the fortress.
Behind his retreating back, the enthusiastic cries of the warriors could still be heard.
Most of the power-worshipping easterners seemed to be completely fascinated by him.
But the servants, frightened by his crushing power, whispered prayers or hastily crossed themselves.
Even among the nobility, heated debates were already flaring up about whether their future ruler had gone too far.
Not paying attention to this hubbub, Barkas calmly left the arena.
Raina, who had been watching his back until then, suddenly belatedly blurted out a protest:
- This is unfair!
She looked around everyone, as if looking for support.
“The reason for all this is that girl!” So why should we be punished?!
But Lucas, not listening to his sister, who was about to burst into tears, stepped towards the mutilated training yard.
The soldiers who had removed Alec Gutvan's body quickly moved aside.
Kneeling down next to the blackened body, Lucas meticulously examined his brother’s work.
Death came instantly - the heart was pierced through. Thick blood was still oozing from the crumpled breastplate. The skull, which had cracked when it hit the ground, slowly released a grayish mess of brain.
When the soldiers removed his mangled helmet, his goggle-eyed, whitish face and bloody lips were revealed, with foam frozen on them.
The demise of a man who had been hailed as the strongest swordsman in the East just this morning was truly pathetic.
“Looks like a thug, but in reality he’s so-so,” Lucas said.
“It can’t be,” Tyrone, coming closer, smiled bitterly and shook his head. “In his youth, this man killed a troll with his bare hands. And in addition to brutal strength, he had amazing skill. No one could have imagined that he would meet such an inglorious end.
Lucas looked up at him with concern.
“Won’t this backfire on us?”
“It was a fight that both sides accepted. If anyone decides to make a fuss, the Gutvans will only become a laughing stock,” Tyrone answered lazily. “In addition, although the young lord formally issued the challenge, it was this man who was the first to question the young lord’s authority.” No one would dare blame the Siekan House for this outcome.
Having completed his sentence, he thoughtfully turned his gaze to the group of aristocrats:
“However, disagreements may arise among the lords.”
Lucas also looked where Tyrone was looking. The local nobles were clearly stunned that the ruler of the southeastern lands had changed literally in a day.
Watching their worried murmur, Tyrone sighed softly:
— The inheritance ceremony may have to be postponed to an earlier date. Without a strong Duke, this chaos will not subside.
* * *
- Why are you angry?
Talia, cowering on the edge of the bed, finally couldn't stand it and asked sharply.
All the way back to the palace, Barkas silently kept a gloomy look.
This drove her crazy. She was supposed to be angry. Wasn't he the one who ignored her words and rushed into battle?
Talia stared furiously at the man sorting through the bottles on the shelf.
At the memory of how that monstrous man rushed at Longboat, a trembling ran through her body, and her stomach clenched painfully.
Everything that happened next did not touch her at all - she just wanted to kneel down and say a prayer that he was alive.
And at the same time, she was ready to beat him with her own hands for making her tremble so much. If it weren't for her weak legs, she would certainly have done so.